Anathema (Causal Enchantment #1)(41)

“So now you live off animals? Like Viggo and Mortimer?”

A cynical smile touched Caden’s lips. “Just like them. But we’re starving—always starving—without human blood. Some of our kind experimented with feeding off other vampires. It mutated them into something altogether evil. You saw it … Jethro.”

I shuddered, those white, veiny eyes flashing in my mind. “How many of you are left?”

“A lot less than there used to be. There’s this self–formed Council composed of the strongest and oldest of our kind. They decided the population needed shrinking. We,” he gestured at the others, “hid well and survived. Since then, for over seven hundred years, they’ve been searching for a secret human civilization, hoping some survived somewhere in the world. But we know there aren’t any left. Deep down, we all know that. No human can survive in this world.”

I noted the present tense, and his silent message. I was human. I couldn’t survive here.

Caden’s next words confirmed it. “There is no ‘good and bad’ of our kind. We’re all bad.”

“Caden!” Bishop warned.

“And if the Council got hold of you,” Caden continued, ignoring him. “They’ll do anything to get to this world of yours, to have a new crop of humans to feed off. It isn’t safe to be around us.”

“Stop saying ‘we’ and ‘us,’ Caden. We aren’t like those demons,” Amelie said, throwing a withering glare in Rachel’s direction.

“I’m here, aren’t I? And I’ve helped you so far, haven’t I?” Rachel retorted haughtily.

“Us or yourself?” Fiona muttered.

“You’re a Council member,” I said slowly. “So was Jethro,” I added, recalling his greeting the other night.

“Yes, and I killed him. For you. So you can trust me.” Again, that sickly sweet smile that made my skin crawl. Hearing those two words, the same two words the vampire uttered before he sank his teeth into my neck, had the opposite effect. I had never trusted anyone less.

Here I was, a one–way ticket to survival for some lucky vampire. If I could bring back only one of them, how would I tell them? Or could I bring more than one? I had no idea! And, save for Rachel, how would I choose between the others? Would they make me choose?

Grateful I had listened to Sofie’s warning, I said quickly, “Well, none of them can come back with me.” I forced down the lump that rose in my throat with the lie. “No one can.”

Amelie put her hands on mine. “It’s okay, Evangeline. We’re not like them.”

“So … you don’t want to come back with me?”

“Oh no, we do,” Amelie answered firmly. “But not to feed off humans.”

“Then why?”

She paused. “To feel like we’re alive, instead of just …”

“Existing,” Fiona finished for her.

“And we’d never hurt you to get there,” Amelie added. “But we, the four of us, are in the minority here.” Another dig at Rachel.

Rachel grinned back viciously. “You’re such a convincing liar, Amelie, that I almost bought it.”

With a growl, Amelie flew across the cave to land on top of Rachel, claw–like fingers raking at her neck, drawing blood. Rachel answered with a swift kick and an equally vicious shriek, intentionally launching Amelie toward the fire. Luckily Fiona was there to catch her before she could land in it. Caden’s arms wrapped around Rachel’s body in the next second, holding her tightly to him, trying to restrain her.

“Are you insane? I’m stronger than all of you put together!” she shrieked, her face turning demonic with rage.

“Go get some air. I’ll be out in a minute,” Caden murmured, his hand softly caressing Rachel’s cheek. I noticed his jaw was clenched, though. “Please,” he added through gritted teeth.

Rachel snorted and, whirling, stormed out of the cave.

“Are you an idiot?” Caden hissed.

Amelie glared at him. “You brought this on us. Fix it,” she responded.

Caden’s face softened, as if Amelie had reminded him of something he had forgotten. He turned to me, his eyes full of concern. “Are you okay?”

No, I wasn’t okay. They had just confirmed that my original fears were true—or mostly true: I was in danger. I’d be hunted if this Council found out about me. But I nodded.

Those beautiful eyes hardened. “You shouldn’t be. Don’t be a fool, Evangeline. Whatever this Viggo told you is likely a lie. That’s what our kind does—we lie. We deceive. We are evil.” His tone, cold and detached, threw the words like a sharp slap across my face. He was so different from the previous two nights.

“Caden!” Bishop boomed.

I nodded, silent.

Fiona threw an exasperated glare at Caden and came over to pull me off the bench. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk. This mountain is honeycombed with neat caves.” She linked her arm through mine.

“Wait up,” Amelie called from behind us, doing an impossible leap into the air to grab a torch.

I looked back once as we left the cavern. Caden stood by the fire, those jade eyes regarding me without expression.

I could feel the weight of the mountain above us as we strolled down a long tunnel, the torch casting eerie shadows beyond jutting stalagmites and scattered stones.